Bills Beat Blog

By Joe Buscaglia

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Bills' Dareus speaks, implies he hasn't heard from league yet

by Joe Buscaglia,posted Aug 19 2014 8:06PM

The last time Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus addressed the media was on May 28, which followed his felony charges in the state of Alabama for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

Dareus, at the time, said the whole thing was a misunderstanding and that it would be put behind him in the future.

"It’s behind me, it’s behind me. I mean, I’m not a trouble guy, I don’t cause any problems nowhere. I’m not a loud guy, I don’t do anything, just have fun and be myself. If things happen, things happen," he said. "I feel like I’m on the straight and narrow. Things happen; young, dumb. You’ve got to correct it and just work through it."

Just two days later, Dareus was arrested again. This time, he was booked for an alleged street race that resulted in multiple misdemeanor charges. From that day, the Bills and the defensive tackle have played it safe in nearly a three-month absence from addressing reporters.

That silence stopped on Tuesday.

"I'm 100-percent sure that everything is just fine and we're going to just keep moving forward. I don't have any worries," Dareus remarked, while not giving too many details about how the process is going. "I'm just kind of sitting back, putting my best foot forward and we're all riding together. We're just kind of doing the best that we can for the season for the Buffalo Bills."

The question that carries the most weight is in regards to the defensive tackle's standing with the National Football League. His two off-the-field transgressions could put him in jeopardy of missing games due to a suspension.

Dareus was asked multiple times about the league office's feelings on the matter, and he steered clear of making any notable comments. One could read through his answers that the fourth-year player has yet to be contacted by the league, however.

"I'm not really discussing that, because that's something I have to talk about with them. And when we get to that point, we get there," he quickly replied. "That there is just something, that if I do or when I do, that will be something I have to take up with them."

Dareus is among one of the most important pieces to the defense and is coming off a Pro Bowl season. The NFL has yet to give their decisions on some other players around the league that have gotten into trouble off the field through this offseason, which means the Bills are not alone in their wait.

The teams awaiting a decision from the league will likely have their answers ahead of the first week of the regular season. Buffalo opens up their campaign against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, September 7.